Teesta, Dharla, Surma inundate 160 villages in 4 dists

Teesta, Dharla, Surma inundate 160 villages in 4 dists

Over 1.10 lakh people marooned

A family spends their days being trapped in flood water at Teesta river basin in Gobodhan village of Aditmari upazila in Lalmonirhat. This Star photo is taken on Saturday.

The water flow of the Teesta, Dharla and Surma rivers rose sharply due to heavy downpour and onrush of hill water, inundating over 160 villages in Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Sunamganj and Sherpur districts in the last couple of days.

The inundation has left more than one lakh ten thousand people marooned from the suffering localities of the three districts.

Meanwhile, people living at Teesta Barrage and adjoining areas were evacuated this morning as the authorities have issued red alert there, said Mahbubur Rahman, executive engineer of Water Development Board (WDB), Dalia point of Lalmonirhat.

WDB control room officials in Sunamganj said water level at different points of the Surma River would cross the danger level in 72 hours if rain continues.

LALMONIRHAT

The low-lying areas at 80 villages in five upazilas were inundated due to continuous downpour and sudden onrush of upstream waters in the last three days, marooning more than one lakh villagers of Patgram, Kaliganj, Hatibandha, Aditmari and Sadar upazilas.

The water level of both Teesta and Dharla are flowing above the danger mark, the WDB official told our Lalmonirhat correspondent.

Teesta water is flowing 25 centimeters above the danger level at Teesta Barrage point in Dowani village of Hatibandha upazila while Dharla 2cm above the danger level at Nun Khawa Ghat point in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila since dawn, he added.

Sources at the Water Development Board, Dinajpur, say all the 44 sluice gates of the Teesta barrage have been kept open to cope with the situation. Photo: Star

“The WDB officials are ready to cut the by-pass of the barrage if the heavy downpour and water flow continue for the next few hours,” the engineer said this morning.

“We also kept open all the 52 gates of Teesta Barrage since early hours of today,” he added.

Mosaddek Hossain Chowdhury, chairman of Mahishkhocha union parishad in Aditmari upazila, said at least 4,000 families of ten villages are surrounded by the water though many people have been shifted to safe places.

NILPHAMARI

The water flow of the Teesta has shown a downward trend. The river was flowing 23cm above the danger level on Thursday and came down to 20cm last evening, news agency UNB reported.

Sources at the WDB, Dinajpur, said all the 44 sluice gates of the Teesta Barrage have been opened to cope up with the situation.

Red alert was imposed at Teesta Barrage area due to heavy water current from upstream as all the gates of Indian Gajoldoba Barrage were kept open at Dowani village of Hatibandha upazila in Lalmonirhat on early Saturday. Photo: Star

Ramjan Ali, a member of ward No. 4 of Khalisha Chapani union under Dimla upazila, said Teesta water has submerged some villages, including West Baishpukur, East Baishpukur and Chotokhata in the upazila.

People were seen wading through knee-to waist-deep water there, he said.

Rabiul Islam Lifan, Khagakharibari union chairman in Dimla upazila, said 300 families of the union remain stranded for the deluge caused by the rain-fed Teesta.

Besides, 700 families of 15 villages, including East Chatnai, Tepakharibari, Khagakharibari-Goyabari, Khalisha
Chapani and Jhunagach Chapani of Dimla upazila and Dauabari-Shoulmari and Koimari union in Jaldhaka upazila were marooned, he added.

Rabiul Islam Shaheen, chairman of Tepakharibari union parishad, said several hundreds of residents of Charkharibari, North-Kharibari and East-Kharibari villages under the union also remain stranded due to heavy water flow caused by the incessant rainfalls.

SUNAMGANJ

At least 60 villages in four upazilas have gone under water due to continuous downpour, reports our Moulvibazar correspondent.

With sudden onrush of floodwater from upstream for more than a week, the water level of Surma, Cholti, Patli and Jadukata rivers have now come close to the danger mark, affecting more than 2,000 families and devouring 15 dwelling houses in four upazilas -- Duarabazaar, Tahirpur, Jamalganj and Biswamvarpur.

Surma water level may cross the danger level by the next 72 hours if downpour continues there, said WDB control room officials in Sunamganj.

SHERPUR

Onrush of upstream water from Meghalaya state and heavy rainfall today inundated at least 10 villages of Jhenaigati upazila in Sherpur, reports a correspondent.